What is this?

Halter-style dress with a tie at the neck and a deep flounce at the bottom. Looping is tighter in the mid-section to provide shaping. Geometric pattern of diamond patterns in off-white, tan, dark brown and dark blue.

Why is this in our collection?

This dress, woven by Lydia Novillo in a women’s cooperative in Formosa, Argentina, is a contemporary interpretation of an important South American textile tradition. The tradition stems from the weaving practices of an indigenous people of South America, the Wichi, who live primarily in Formosa, an isolated area in northern Argentina. Originally settling near the Bermejo and Pilcomayo Rivers, they were a semi-nomadic, agricultural people who also relied on fishing during the dry season. For centuries, they have used the fibers of the chaguar, a plant in the bromeliad family, to weave fishing nets, bags, and other objects that continue to sustain many of the communities today.
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